Many a game has been ruined because of that first shot that didn’t go where it was supposed to. If you have been a victim of a badly aligned tee box, you already know that the direction it has been placed in cannot always be trusted. Despite what many of us think, it is not a given that the tee box installer has aligned it correctly to suggest a direction. It is often up to the player to determine the best direction rather than trust the tee box every time.
Remember that tee boxes are often aligned to accommodate the green rather than the player. They aren’t necessarily positioned to help you determine a suggested direction. For this reason you should get into the habit of double checking which direction will provide you with the most strategic play.
Something that will help you make this decision is knowing exactly where the hole is. This will also help you to strategize your game from the start and assist you in directing the ball to the correct location. Knowing where exactly the hole is, is more reliable to a golfer than trusting in the tee box for every hole—especially if you are not familiar with the course to begin with.
Dog legs often confuse players because the tee box doesn’t always accommodate an immediate dogleg. Many times the player will do well to cut through the dog leg instead of making two shots to steer it. It is up to you to make this decision so don't let the tee box throw you off.
If you are not a golfer who has perfected his long drive yet, you may want to double check whether the tee box is pointing towards a potential hazard for you. The tee box may assume that you are a seasoned golfer who can hit the ball over the hazard and onto an island green. However, if this is not the case, your ball may be headed for a lake or the woods.
At the end of the day, it may be wisest to make your own decision about direction when it comes to teeing off. The person who designed the course may not always have assisted you with this aspect as much as you had hoped; so take the side of caution and evaluate the direction yourself.
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